“Prior to the start of the season, each Club must submit to the NHL its “Opening Day Playing Roster” which shall be comprised of not more than 23 players. Each Club must have a roster of at least 20 players, composed of 18 skaters and two goaltenders,” NHL Hockey Operations.
As of now, the St. Louis Blues meet the NHL requirements for the Opening Day Playing Roster.
Given the early stage of the offseason, GM Doug Armstrong is likely not done yet. He is expected to continue refining the roster and potentially adding more new players.
The St. Louis Blues acquired Mathieu Joseph, Alexandre Texier, and Radek Faksa, all in separate trades. Armstrong also signed Pierre-Olivier Joseph as an incoming free-agent acquisition.
St. Louis Blues: Will top prospects gain full-time play?
With the development camp, a crucial event for evaluating and training potential players, just ending on July 3rd, local St. Louis Hockey analysts also commented that a reasonable expectation is to see Dalibor Dvorsky and perhaps Zack Bolduc make the opening-day roster.
Dalibor Dvorsky is fun to watch. #stlblues
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) July 2, 2024
The Dvorsky addition would be welcomed by most Blues fans, as he is currently the most prized prospect within the organization and is expected to significantly enhance the team’s roster, especially in goal-scoring.
Fans saw Zack Bolduc and Zach Dean in a limited amount of regular season games towards the end of 2023-24. Bolduc appears to have the advantage over Dean in gaining a permanent spot, but that scenario can change as well.
With a handful of prized prospects seeking to compete to become full-time NHLers, it’s reasonable to expect further trades or deals to occur, especially within the forward positions.
Could the St. Louis Blues make additional trades? Could players be moved out of the existing roster? Will Armstrong release or buy out a contract?
It’s too early to speculate now, but given the current roster, changes are expected to continue, especially if we are to see Dvorsky or Bolduc on a full-time basis.